CAPUTO: Lions didn't hire Jim Caldwell as much as settle for him

FILE - In this Jan. 30, 2013, file photo, Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell walks onto the field as his team warms up during an NFL Super Bowl XLVII football practice in New Orleans. A person familiar with the situation says the Detroit Lions have hired coach Caldwell. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

Reaction to Jim Caldwell being named head coach of the Lions has ranged from outrage to tepid.

Elation?

There is little.

He is viewed as Tony Dungy’s buddy, who rode Peyton Manning and others to the best parts of his resume.

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The Lions clearly targeted Ken Whisenhunt, and were shunned by him for the Tennessee Titans.

Plan B was Caldwell, and there was no competition for him. The Lions settled.

Caldwell isn’t the Super Bowl winning head coach returning for another shot at glory. He isn’t the up-and-coming go-getter ready to set the world on fire.

He is the been-there-and-almost-done-that guy.

At some point, the Lions’ brass will join Caldwell out in front of a microphone. It will not be one of those news conferences where the naming of the coach is like a coronation. Instead, it will likely be testy. The Lions’ leadership will tell their long suffering fans essentially, “Trust us. We’ve got this. Jim Caldwell is the man.”

And the Lions’ fan base will react by rolling their collective eyes, throwing their hands in the air in unison and screaming on social media and calling the local radio station.

“THE LIONS HAVE NEVER GOTTEN IT RIGHT IN MY LIFETIME. WHY SHOULD I BELIEVE THEY HAVE GOTTEN IT RIGHT NOW!!!!”

They will make a terrific point, too.

By all accounts, Caldwell is cerebral and dignified, the type who stays above the fray.

It could make him like a guppy in a shark tank. The natives, are to say the least, restless.

I’ve heard from sources William Clay Ford Jr. is not only playing a more prominent role in the Lions’ operations, but came perilously close to firing team president Tom Lewand and general manager Martin Mayhew, and making Lou Perez, the Lions’ CFO, the new sheriff in town as team president.

Instead, head coach Jim Schwartz became the lone fall guy.

It would have made little sense for the Lions to bring Schwartz back. The 6-3 start turned into a 7-9 disaster was clearly the end of his road in Detroit. The collapse itself wasn’t so much because of Schwartz’s failings as those of his star players, but he had plenty of missteps in his five years as coach. It was just time.

Yet, the cache the Lions’ gained by firing Schwartz has been lost by hiring Caldwell. If the Lions had given Schwartz another year, it wouldn’t have been much more unpopular, if any.

Of course, none of this is fair to Caldwell. His background shares more in common than differences with Whisenhunt. He is a fine football coach.

None of the Lions’ past issues are his doing, but it’s not like he is part of a fresh start and a new day for the Lions.

In retrospect, considering how limited the coaching candidates were, the Lions should have either stuck with Schwartz and kept the front office intact, or gone all the way by making changes in both areas.

Instead, they are stuck in no man’s land.

The Lions do have more talent than at any point since the mid-1990s. Caldwell can become the most popular hire history if he wins.

A big “If,” eh?

There is a pall hanging over the organization that is intangible and impossible to truly define, yet is all-encompassing and undeniably real.

Jim Caldwell’s hiring as head coach doesn’t change that, but rather is another symbol of it.

About the Author

Pat Caputo has written as a beat writer and sports columnist for The Oakland Press since 1984 and blogs at http://patcaputo.blogspot.com/. Reach the author at pat.caputo@oakpress.com
or follow Pat on Twitter: @PatCaputo98.